Preschool is an exciting time for parents and children alike. Preschool children are learning new things, exploring and according to most parents, being really weird. In fact, many parents wouldn’t believe their kids were from earth if they hadn’t seen them growing up. There are many things that our kids do that seem very weird but (thankfully) it’s all part of growing up.
Why Are Children Weird?
Children may act strange sometimes because they are relatively new to the world. While something may seem weird to those of us that have been around for a while, for children (and especially preschool children), the world is new and exciting and needs to be explored.
What Kind of Weird Stuff is Normal
As mentioned earlier, at preschool your child is learning and exploring their new world so there are several things which they may do which seem really strange but are actually pretty normal (perhaps a little gross to us, but normal to preschoolers).
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Eating Sand
This is one of the quintessential weird kid things. The child looks at some sand and thinks “yum” before eating some sand. This behavior is not encouraged by preschool teachers however it is to be expected from children at that age who are exploring new things.
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Getting Dirty
This is another one of those activities that may be gross to adults (although with the popularity of things like Spartan Races, maybe not) but is completely normal for kids to get dirty. Getting dirty is a tactile experience for children as they can feel and squish things as they learn all about their environment. So again, it may be weird to those of us that know what goes into cleaning ourselves but for preschool kids, it is a normal and fun experience.
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Toilet Humor
Get ready for a lot of farts and burps and terrible jokes. Toilet humor is something that is really funny to kids. A fart at an inappropriate time might bring some of the heartiest laughs you will ever hear. While this may be weird and horrifying to adults (unless you’re Adam Sandler of course), for kids it is normal. At their age they’re learning about what is socially taboo and going against what is acceptable and seeing the reaction from others brings joy to children that adults find difficult to comprehend.
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Collecting Random Stuff
One day you might find yourself in your child’s room and you find something strange. A collection of sharpie lids or bread crusts brought home from their preschool lunches and you might think that they’re at it again (being strange). Children may seem like aliens and although some things may just be weird, collecting strange things is not one of them, it’s all a learning experience. They don’t necessarily know what will happen to those bread crusts but collecting them is a good way to find out. On the other hand, they may just like really random things (like adults that collect stamps or shells, etc.).
Children are like little scientists and lets’ face it, weird is subjective. In other words, they are always learning because everything is so new to them and they are interested in how all of these things work or feel or taste. To children what they are doing is just living life, as we are, and as long as it is not harming them, it is nothing to be concerned about.